Deciding on the right career can be extremely tricky for a lot of people. Some lucky individuals identify their ideal career at an early age, allowing them to focus on it throughout their education. Others tend to be less sure and end up taking a varied path through their working life, which eventually takes them to a career that can satisfy their requirements (at least in an ideal world!).

In fairness, not having a long-term objective isn’t necessarily a negative approach to take to your working life. Interests and drivers change naturally throughout life, so for many people the career they thought they wanted at 16 isn’t actually the dream job they achieve when they hit their forties. Often people develop skills and abilities that they didn’t know they had, giving them new ideas for careers they hadn’t considered in earlier years. Equally, new professions and sectors come across all the time; it’s sobering to remember that many of the digital, media, high-tech and green-sector jobs didn’t exist twenty years ago!

Thinking about your skills

To start pinning down your ideal career, think about the skills you have and what you enjoy doing. Often these things will greatly overlap and nudge you towards a profession that will give you genuine satisfaction. Don’t simply look for jobs that chase money; motivation and satisfaction come from a range of factors in working life and most people who work in professions they love eventually find that the good salaries come their way.

Consider your passions

Think about what you’re passionate about and whether you could bring this to a career. Don’t rule out unusual combinations either. For example, you might have private nursing experience, a desire to travel and a love of food blogging. You might not easily find a full-time food blogging job abroad, but you might be able to find nursing jobs overseas through UK agencies and pursue your passion for food on the side! Always think creatively.

Do you need to work for someone else?

Often becoming employed seems like the obvious route, but entrepreneurship is a superb skill that can lead to great rewards. Owning your own business is tough, demanding and hard work, but it can also be hugely rewarding and satisfying. Look at alternative routes, such as running your own franchise or setting up a micro or part-time business alongside employment.

Think outside the box

Alternatively, consider looking for a job with training, such as an apprenticeship or a trainee scheme that enables you to experience different parts of an organisation. Work experience, internships and summer jobs can also be great ways to get a taste of a profession before you commit to working in it full time. It’s always sensible to carry out plenty of good research by reading up on your intended profession, finding out its long-term growth prospects, speaking to those working in it already and working out whether it’s a long-term viable industry in which you could progress and grow a profitable, rewarding career.

This article was contributed by Lloyd, a freelance writer and blogger, on behalf of Nuffield Health Careers.